Southwest Divsion: The Real CIF: OMG, the Southwest Division is so hard to follow. It totally makes me want to text message Coach Farrar and find out why Trabuco Hills wants to hook up with Charter Oak after hooking up with West Covina and Tustin. And did you see the way Coach Gano was acting on Tuesday? It was like so weird. I think something is up with him and El Dorado. He like totally used Foothill and now he wants somebody more popular. It’s so random. The SGV is so full of players. I hate it. I’m so totally done with this division. I wish the SGV would just win it and go back to that smoggy Valley with the trophy.

Coto De Caza has nothing on the exclusive Charter Oak section of Covina.

Aram’s semi-normal take: And so it is, the Southwest Division has come down to four teams – two from the SGV and two from the OC. This division has seen both regions fire their share of salvos. Boom! South Hills hit first by dropping seeded Canyon of Anaheim in the first round. Boom! The OC responded by sending Trabuco Hills to West Covina to tame the Bulldogs. They did it. Now, after a little cannibalism, it’s come down to four. No more Yo Momma jokes, it’s time to settle it on the field. Both games are in the OC. Los Altos won’t have to go too far in. Not far enough that the LA cheerleaders will have to fear Cameron’s charm. Charter Oak, on the other hand, that’s a different story. CO moms, guard your husbands. You never know when one of the Real Housewives of Orange Country will set their eyes on him. Hey, SGV men are some of the most appealing in SoCal. And from what I hear, the OC is a great place to spend your mid-life crisis. Obviously, everybody in the SGV would like to see LA and CO win and turn this into a locals only affair. But there’s a good chance the OC could kick us out of Disneyland and settle it amongst themselves in a week. Or, it could come down to one team from each region playing for all the beach sand and smog in SoCal. We’ll see … GET OUT TO A GAME!!!

But first, one of Aram’s thoughts: As a chubby, half-white/half-Armenian kid growing up on the outskirts of San Marino, I couldn’t help but feel like NWA’s hit album “Straight Outta Compton” was made just for me when it debuted in 1988-89. Finally, no more Al B. Sure or New Order. I felt like Yella, Eazy and Dre were saying the things I just couldn’t. They were telling it like how it really was on the streets. I just felt like shouting out “That’swhatI’mtalkn”bout” when I heard that album.

And then to hear former San Marino football standout Matt Solomon yell “Straight Outta Compton” while warming up for a Huntington Jr. High track meet, it was a sign that finally the message of the streets was being heard. It was really very moving.

Because of that, each time Compton is mentioned, a certain part of me has to pour some out for the pioneers of Rhythmic American Poetry (West Coast stylee).

Compton pertains this week because that’s where the Duarte Falcons will be playing Verbum Dei in the semifinals of the Mid-Valley Division playoffs. We don’t yet know if it will be at Centennial High or Compton College. But it don’t matter, does it?

In addition to knowing it was the berth place of NWA, here are some other things you should know about Compton.

Aram’s thoughts on CO’s win over South Hills: First of all, if you say you expected that and you weren’t surprised, then you’re a flat out liar. If anybody in the entire Valley should sit here and say they thought CO could play like that, it should be me. Forget about who I picked in the game, just remember that I had CO No. 1 in the area for the entire off-season and started them No. 2 in Valley. Do you see how stupid all of this sounds? What anybody thought four months ago or an hour before last night’s game doesn’t really matter. All that matters is what took place after kickoff. Charter Oak played like a team on a mission. I think that’s probably the best the Chargers will ever look this season, but I am hope I’m wrong because that will mean a CIF title if I am. It’s funny, but when you reach the playoffs, it all comes down to the very best players making the biggest plays. You saw that out of Michael Johnson last night. He was the difference in the game in the first half. His first TD was an amazing catch that gave you the impression he was playing against boys. His pick return made him look like a USC defensive back playing in a Pop Warner game. The guy is just an awesome player who got to show it to everybody last night. Also, I think CO’s offensive line really controlled things. South Hills just wasn’t making stops and it’s because CO was able to run the ball. The Chargers’ offensive line had taken some heat this year for being big and looking good in uniform, but not dominating up to their appearance. That wasn’t the case at all last night. My whole reason for hyping CO at the beginning of the season was because they had all of the elements to have a huge year – mammoth O-line, D-1 receiver/dback, veteran QB, great coaching and a psycho middle linebacker. They simply passed the look test. It’s great to see that the Chargers never quit when things were going bad early on and are now playing their best football.
About South Hills – the Huskies have nothing to be ashamed of. It was a hard week. Coach Bogan’s mom went into the hospital early in the week and as we all know, she passed on Friday. Now, isn’t that typical of the kind of coaches we have here in the SGV? He loses his mom in the morning and yet he’s out coaching his team later that night. There wasn’t a person in the world who would’ve blamed him for missing last night’s game, but Coach Bogan wasn’t going to do that to his team. The Huskies just didn’t have it. Charter Oak was simply better and it showed. But it should be remember that SH lost a ton from last year’s team and struggled badly earlier this season. Yet, at the end of the day, SH wins a share of the SAL and upsets a seeded team on the road in the playoffs. Like Bogan said, they’ll be back. Not quite so sure we’ll be able to say that CO coach Lou Farrar who could hang it up if his team sends him out the right way. It could be the storybook ending to a storybook career.

South Hills coach Steve Bogan will have his usual great game plan for Charter Oak

Aram’s take: Spurrier vs. Bowden? That’s what it feels like to me. I’ve got to tell you that I’m as anxious for this game as I would be a CIF championship. It’s my vibe that Coach Farrar and Coach Bogan respect each other. I think they’re both class acts and I don’t want to set the stage for people to think there’s going to be a Chaney v. Calipari showdown at midfield after the game. Lets get this right out of the way, both staffs are class acts. Intense, and classy. But I’d be lying if I glossed over the fact that it’s my perception that these two coaching staffs really want to win this game. I know, all my devil’s advocates out there will say “Aram, of course they want the win, it’s the playoffs.” Nope, sorry. There’s more to it than that. And for whatever reason, even though the players involved weren’t around during the rifts of the late 90s and early 00s, I think they all understand what’s at stake. OK, I just wanted to say that. Please feel free to comment on whether you think the tension will be thick or if the heat is overblown.

Hey Duarte, here comes 276 yards per game of Love-lle!
Lavelle Peterson and LC head east on the 210 tomorrow night for an SGV showdown in Duarte

NOTE: Don’t waste our time by leaving predictions with no scores. ADD FINAL SCORES TO YOUR PREDICTIONS! Pick one game or all of them, I don’t care. Just give us the darn score. I don’t want to know if Rowland is going to win, I want to know by how much.

Mid-Valley Division
La Canada at Duarte
Sierra Vista at Temple City
Azusa at Monrovia
Workman at Bishop DiegoSouthwest Division
Los Altos at Rowland
West Covina at Mayfair
Bellflower at Diamond Ranch
La Mirada at Charter Oak
South Hills at CanyonNorthwest Division
Nordhoff at Covina
San Dimas at Morro Bay
Baldwin Park at Harvard-WestlakeInland Division
Glendora at Redlands
Carter at DamienSoutheast Division
Schurr at South El Monte
Arroyo at La Habra
Rosemead at Saddleback

Try to keep the discussions about each division confined to that division’s specific thread. I know this is hard, but try. Also, please make predictions. If you want to do first round only or go all the way to the finals with it, I don’t care. Just do them!

NOTEWORTHY: The first thing LA coach Greg Gano said to me when he arrived at CIF-SS on Sunday was “I think we’ll get Rowland.” He was right. Great local matchup! Charter Oak, on the other hand, drew a team it already played/beat this season. West Covina is going to visit No. 1 seed Mayfair. It pays to take of business all the time. South Hills has a tough, second place team vs. second place team game against Canyon.

Aram’s prediction: I’ve got Canyon and Mayfair in one semifinal and El Dorado and Los Altos in the other. Canyon will play El Dorado in the finals with El Dorado winning it all.

Aram’s darkhorse: South Hills and Los Altos. Teams that have good QBs and coaches are usually dangerous in the playoffs. LA and SH both have that. Don’t rule out South Hills upsetting Canyon in the first round. The Huskies have the QB and you know the staff will have that team ready. Also, Los Altos is dangerous if it recaptures its September form. The past two weeks indicate LA might be rounding back into form. If the Conqs play like they did against Damien, they can beat almost anyone in the division.

NOTEWORTHY: Damien’s not being ranked in the CIF polls cost the Spartans a Top 4 seed. Chino Hills would’ve been a top seed had it beaten the Spartans.

Aram’s prediction: I’ve got Corona Centennial and Damien playing in one semifinal with Vista Murrieta and Norco playing in the other. Centennial and Norco will meet in the finals with Centennial winning.

Aram’s darkhorse: Damien shouldn’t be a darkhorse, but they are. Also, Chino Hills could give Norco a major battle in the first round. If the Huskies win, they’ll have a great shot at reaching the finals. Don’t rule out either Sierra League power.

Temple City’s Dwight Broadnax has his Rams poised to add another CIF title to the collection.

NOTEWORTHY: The Rio Hondo League got the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in the division. It’s rare that a second place team will get a seed that high. Duarte drew Rio Hondo League third place finisher La Canada. This is a much better matchup for a Montview League champ than what they’d get in the old Division X.

Aram’s prediction: I’ve got Temple City and La Canada playing in one semifinal with Monrovia playing Bishop Diego in the other. Temple City and Monrovia will rematch for the championship with the Rams winning again, but closer than last time.

Aram’s darkhorse: La Canada. Lavelle Peterson might be the best overall player in the division. Sometimes, that’s good enough to make a run. Remember, LC gave TC a very good game and not too much separates any of the powerful RHL teams.

NOTEWORTHY: Arroyo got a very tough draw, playing at La Habra in the first round.

Aram’s prediction: I have Troy and Alhambra playing in one semifinal. La Habra and Westminster will meet in the other. The finals will be Troy against La Habra with Troy winning it.

Aram’s darkhorse: Alhambra. The Moors have the skill players to make a run and the feel good story that is Gil Ruedaflores’ final dance in the postseason could make this a magical ride for the veteran coach.

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